Tuesday, 7 December 2021

These are the best convertible laptops to buy in 2021

When buying a laptop, there are a few form factors you can choose from. You can buy a typical clamshell laptop if you just want the basics, or go with a tablet and a detachable keyboard if portability is your number one priority. But then there’s the best form factor a PC can have – personally speaking, at least – the convertible. Convertible laptops give you the versatility of a tablet while also having the convenience of a keyboard permanently available, plus they can usually afford to be more powerful than a typical tablet.

I love convertibles, and whenever I think of buying a new laptop, it’s always a convertible of some kind. The ability to touch the screen for certain actions or spin the display around to use it as a tablet is incredibly convenient. It’s one of those things you may not use all the time, but the times you do use it truly justify investing in one. As such, we’re here to help you find the best convertible PC for you.

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Best overall: HP Spectre x360 14

Not many PC brands are as recognizable as HP’s Spectre family, and there’s good reason for that. They’ve been some of the convertible PCs you can buy for a while, and the Spectre x360 14 is a recent addition that makes it even better.

In terms of performance, the HP Spectre x360 is everything you’d expect from a modern high-end laptop. It comes with Intel’s 11th-generation Core processors, up to a Core i7-1195G7. That’s a quad-core, eight-thread CPU with clock speeds up to 5GHz, so it’s one of the fastest laptop processors around. On top of that, it includes Intel iris Xe graphics, so you can do some light gaming on it, too. In addition to that, you get up to 16GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD, so multitasking performance should be great, and you also have a ton of space to keep your files.

What makes the Spectre x360 14 unique compared to its siblings is the display. This is the first Spectre laptop with a 3:2 aspect ratio, which means it’s taller than a typical 16:9 screen. This taller display means you get more vertical space for rows of text or other information, so scrolling becomes less of a necessity. It’s a bigger deal than you might think if you’ve never used a taller screen like this. The default configuration is a Full HD+ (1920 x 1280) display, but you can upgrade to a fantastic 3K2K (3000 x 2000) OLED display, which is much sharper, and gives you all the benefits of OLED, like true blacks, vivid colors, and a high contrast ratio. This is one of the best laptop displays you can find.

A potential downside of the Spectre x360 14 is the webcam. Not only is it a 720p camera, which is unfortunately still very common, but in order to keep the bezels as small as possible, HP used a tiny 2.2mm sensor. That means there’s less light going into the camera, and in turn, the image doesn’t look as good. On the bright side, HP didn’t sacrifice Windows Hello facial recognition to get that small size, and a fingerprint sensor is here too if you prefer that.

One of the best things about the Spectre lineup, though this is a subjective topic, is the design. Like other Spectre x360 models, this version uses a dual-tone color scheme in its Nightfall Black (pictured above) and Poseidon Blue variants. Poseidon Blue replaces the black surfaces with dark blue, and the copper accents with something closer to a gold color, and it looks fantastic. If you want something more subdued, though, there’s a single-color Natural Silver option for you. You also can’t miss the trimmed corners below the display and angular edges of this laptop,  giving it a wholly unique identity.

Like most laptops of this size, the HP Spectre x360 14 doesn’t have a ton of ports, but they’re very capable. There are two Thunderbolt 4 ports, with one being placed on one of the trimmed corners, which makes it more easily accessible for a cable coming from behind the laptop. This lets you charge, connect Thunderbolt docks, external GPUs, and monitors. You also get a USB Type-A port built in, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader. Technically, with Thunderbolt 4 you can connect anything to this laptop, but the lack of built-in HDMI means you’re probably going to need an adapter to connect most types of external displays.

It’s not perfect, but the HP Spectre x360 14 is easily one of the best premium convertible PCs out there, and it’s an easy recommendation if you want something versatile, stylish and fast.

    HP Spectre x360 14
    The HP Spectre x360 14 is a beautifully-designed convertible with high-end specs and a fantastic display.

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Also great: Dell XPS 13 2-in-1

Almost as iconic as HP’s Spectre family (or maybe even more so), the Dell XPS lineup is also home to some of the best Windows laptops on the market. And the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is another fantastic thin and light convertible that you can easily take anywhere without sacrificing performance.

Starting with performance, the XPS 13 2-in-1 is still very much a high-end laptop. It comes with Intel’s 11th-generation Core processors up to a Core i7-1165G7, with four cores, eight threads, and boost speeds up to 4.6GHz. That’s still one of the very best processors out there today, and you’re going to have a great experience with it. If you want a lot of RAM, the Dell XPS 13 is even better than the HP Spectre x360, since you can get it with up to a whopping 32GB of RAM – and yes, that is more than most people will need. You can also get it with up to 512GB of SSD storage, which is still a lot of space for files if you’re dealing with documents most of the time.

The display on the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is also great. The latest model comes with a 13.4-inch display and it uses a 16:10 aspect ratio. This isn’t quite as tall as 3:2, but it’s still taller than 16:9, and that means you get more vertical space and more surface area on the screen compared to a typical laptop. That means more space for rows of text or Excel spreadsheets, as well as UI elements in some apps like video and photo editing software. The laptop comes with a Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) panel, and that’s the only configuration you can get right now. That’s still very sharp for a screen of this size, so you probably don’t need any upgrade options.

Similar to the Spectre x360, the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 makes a big sacrifice with the webcam, using a tiny 2.25mm sensor with 720p resolution. That means you’ll be stuck with less than ideal image quality most of the time since there isn’t a lot of light coming in. Thankfully, Windows Hello facial recognition is still available, so you’re not sacrificing that.

What that small webcam allows for is a very compact design thanks to the small bezels, and the Dell XPS 13 is one of the smallest laptops around. It measures just 14.35mm in thickness, and it’s weight starts at 2.9lbs, so this is an easy laptop to carry just about anywhere. In terms of looks, the Dell XPS 13 2-in.-1 uses an aluminum exterior in a silver color, but the interior comes in a black carbon fiber style, which helps this laptop look and feel unique compared to everything else.

As far as ports go, the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 includes two Thunderbolt 4 connections, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader.  Again, the presence of Thunderbolt means you can technically connect anything to this laptop, but you’re almost guaranteed to need an adapter this way. There’s no HDMI or a USB Type-A port for peripherals, which you may have to be ready for.

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 competes directly with the HP Spectre x360, and it does a great job at it. This is one of the best convertible PCs out there, and while we’d give the edge to HP based on the configurations currently available, you can’t go wrong with either of these.

    Dell XPS 13 2-in.1
    The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is one of the most compact 2-in-1 laptops you can find, but it still comes with high-end specs and a great display.

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Best convertible PC for business: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga

Front view of ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga on wooden bench

Business PCs and laptops are Lenovo’s specialty, and the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga convertible is one of the best the company has made so far. This modernizes the ThinkPad lineup in a few great ways, while retaining iconic elements of the ThinkPad brand so it’s still suitable for business users.

Much like the other laptops we’ve looked at so far, the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga comes with Intel’s 11th-generation processors, but they’re a bit different this time. This laptop maxes out with an Intel Core i7-1180G7 with vPro technology, which means it has extra security features and improved performance. It has four cores, eight threads, and clock speeds up to 4.6GHz; however, this isn’t a 15W processor like the ones in the laptops above. This is from Intel’s low-power series, meaning it uses less power and generates less heat, but it’s not quite as fast. Still, Intel’s low-power processors have improved a lot, and you’ll still get a great experience with this laptop. You can pair that with 16GB of RAM for a great multi-tasking experience, and add up to 1TB of SSD storage for your files.

The display on the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is a 13.5-inch panel, and it also comes in a 3:2 aspect ratio. As we’ve mentioned, this taller screen is great for productivity, and it’s great to see it in more laptops. It also comes in what’s arguably the perfect resolution for a display of this size, which is 2256 x 1504. This is a very uncommon resolution, but it’s as sharp as you could need it to be for a 13-inch laptop, without going overboard with a display that uses a ton of battery. Plus, it supports Dolby Vision and up to 450 nits of brightness, so the viewing experience on it is going to be great.

Like many laptops on this list, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga uses a 720p webcam above the display, which isn’t ideal in a world of hybrid and remote work. It’s not as bad as the tiny cameras we saw above, though. The camera includes Windows Hello facial recognition, and a fingerprint reader is available, too, if you prefer that method of logging in.

Design-wise, the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is very different from other ThinkPads, but it retains some of the most important aspects. It uses a unique blend of materials – the base is made from a magnesium and aluminum alloy, while the lid uses a mix of carbon fiber and titanium. While the laptop is silver, this mix of materials creates a sort of dual-tone look, and it’s not something you can find anywhere else. Of course, it retains the classic red accents and features like the pointing stick and mouse buttons below the keyboard, so it’s still a ThinkPad at heart. This is an incredibly thin device, measuring just 11.5mm, and it’s one of the lightest laptops on this list, too, starting at 2.54lbs.

Being as thin as it is, the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga only has two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a headphone jack. There isn’t much space for USB Type-A or HDMI, so the omission is understandable, but you’re very going to need adapters if you want to connect a legacy peripheral or external display. Because this is a business laptop, you can also get it with either 4G or 5G cellular support, so you can stay connected to the internet anywhere you go. If you’re interested in 5G, though, it’s worth checking out our list of the best 5G laptops to see other options.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is a fantastic modernization of the ThinkPad lineup, featuring an incredibly thin design, a unique blend of materials, a great display, and high-end performance. It’s one of the best convertible PCs out there, and for business users, it’s potentially the very best option.

    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga
    Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga comes with a very thin design, a great display, and premium performance.

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Best for creators: Surface Laptop Studio

Display pulled forward on Surface Laptop Studio

The Surface Laptop Studio defies what it means to be a convertible, but personally speaking, that’s a good thing. This has become my favorite form factor for a laptop, and the Surface Laptop Studio delivers a fantastic experience in almost every way.

Starting with performance, the Surface Laptop Studio comes with Intel’s H35 series processors, which made their debut this year. You can get it with up to an Intel Core i7-11370H, which is a quad-core, eight-thread processor that can boost up to 4.8GHz. That may sound similar to other laptops on this list, but this has a base power consumption of 35W, and that means it can boost higher and sustain those speeds for longer than a 15W processor would. Plus, it still includes Iris Xe graphics. If that’s not enough graphics power, the Core i7 models also include NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics, so you can actually run games and other graphics-intensive workloads on it. In addition to that, you can get it with up to 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD, bot of which are way beyond what most people will need.

The display on the Surface Laptop Studio comes in the signature 3:2 aspect ratio we see in pretty much every Surface device, and that means it has all the benefits we’ve already mentioned. The extra vertical space is great for work, and it’s made even better because this is a 14.4-inch display, so it’s bigger than the laptops we’ve looked at so far. It’s also a very sharp screen, coming at a resolution of 2400 x 1600, and it supports Dolby Vision, touch, and active pens, including support for haptic feedback in the Surface Slim Pen 2. Finally, this is the first Surface device with a 120Hz display, and it’s one of the first non-gaming PCs to have that kind of feature.

The Surface Laptop Studio is the first laptop on this list with a 1080p webcam, and it’s fantastic to see. Microsoft’s Surface tablets have always had fantastic cameras compared to other laptops, and while this isn’t quite the same as what you’d get on the Surface Pro 8, it’s still better than most laptops on this list. Of course, it also includes Windows Hello facial recognition.

What truly makes this laptop stand out is its design. Unlike the other laptops on this list, the Surface Laptop Studio doesn’t rotate on a 360-degree hinge. Instead, it has two hinges for the display, and it lets you pull the screen closer to you (as pictured above) if you want to watch movies and videos, or you can fold the screen down over the keyboard and use it as a tablet. This is an ingenious design, and it’s actually more convenient than a 360-degree hinge because it requires less from you. You don’t have to lift the whole laptop to rotate it, you can just pull the screen towards you. Beyond that, the Surface Laptop Studio measures under 19mm thick and starts at 3.87lbs, so it’s still decently portable considering the powerful specs inside.

As for ports, the Surface Laptop Studio comes with two Thunderbolt 4 ports – a first for Surface – plus a Surface Connect port and a headphone jack. This is a somewhat limited setup, and it’s very typical of Surface devices. With Thunderbolt 4 and Surface Connect, you have options for docking and connecting peripherals, but it’s a shame that adapters are required considering this isn’t an ultra-thin laptop.

All in all, the Surface Laptop Studio is a fantastic device. It’s more powerful than most laptops on this list, and it has, in my opinion, the best form factor for a convertible PC. It’s somewhat expensive, but if you can afford it and you need what it offers, it’s great.

    Surface Laptop Studio
    The Surface Laptop Studio comes with powerful Intel H35 series processors and optional NVIDIA RTX graphics, wrapped in one of the coolest designs around.

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Best convertible gaming PC: ASUS ROG Flow X13

ASUS ROG Flow X13 featured image

It’s not often that I get to recommend a laptop I’ve actually bought for myself, but the ASUS ROG Flow X13 is truly a fantastic convertible PC, and if you’re into gaming, this is one of the very best convertibles designed for it. It’s a great device across the board, and having owned mine for a few weeks, I definitely recommend it.

At the heart of the ROG Flow X13 is an AMD Ryzen processor, up to a Ryzen 9 5980HS. That’s a 35W processor with  8 cores and 16 threads CPU that can boost up to 4.8GHz, making it one of the most powerful CPUs on this list. Backing that up is an NVIDIA GPU, up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti. That may not sound particularly impressive for a gaming laptop, but it’s this way so it’s still a very portable machine that you can use for more than gaming. I primarily use mine for work, and it’s great for that, but I’ve also played Halo 3, 4, and Reach at high settings and 120 frames per second. You also get up to 32GB of RAM (which is soldered onto the motherboard) and a 1TB SSD, giving you enough space for a few games.

If you’re concerned that the built-in GPU isn’t powerful enough for your gaming needs, what sets the ROG Flow X13 apart from the rest is the ROG XG Mobile accessory. This is an external GPU – an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, to be precise – that connects to the ROG Flow X13 to give you that much more power for gaming. It also serves as a docking station, adding multiple USB ports, HDMI, and Ethernet. Unfortunately, you can’t buy it separately right now, so if you want that extra power, you have to buy the two items bundled together. This adds a lot to the price, and I personally passed on it, but you have the option.

While it’s a gaming laptop, the ROG Flow X13 has a display that’s also great for productivity. It’s a 13.4-inch panel and it comes in the 16:10 aspect ratio, making it that much better for work. The extra vertical space truly makes a difference and it helps the screen feel that much bigger. You can get the laptop with a Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) display at 120Hz or opt for an Ultra HD+ (3840 x 2400) display with a 60Hz refresh rate. Of course, it’s a convertible, so it supports touch, and an active pen is included in the box, too.

The webcam above the display is just 720p, and it could definitely be better, but it’s serviceable. It’s not amazing, but webcams are rarely the focus for any laptop, and even less so for gaming laptops, so this isn’t surprising. It also doesn’t come with Windows Hello facial recognition, but you do get a fingerprint sensor built into the power button, which is still a convenient way to log in.

Design-wise, the ASUS ROG Flow X13 is impressively thin and light for what it’s packing. It’s 15.8mm thin, and it starts at 2.87lbs – which is very light for a laptop packing 35W processors and dedicated graphics. It also looks quite nice, with an all-black and diagonal lines running across the chassis for a slightly unique, but subdued look. There’s no sort of RGB lighting on this laptop, so it’s not obnoxious in any way.

For ports, the ASUS ROG Flow X13 covers the basics. It has two USB Type-C ports – one of which is part of the custom ASUS ROG XG Mobile connector, but you can use it as a standard USB-C port – one USB Type-A port, HDMI, and a combo audio jack. There’s no Thunderbolt support because this is an AMD laptop, which is why the external GPU uses a proprietary connector, but this covers all the basics otherwise. Out of the box, I could connect my wired gaming mouse and an external monitor without any issues, which was great.

Overall, the ASUS ROG Flow X13 is one of the best convertible PCs you can buy, and I wholeheartedly recommend it based on my experience. You can buy it below with a Ryzen 9 CPU, a GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, and 16GB of RAM, plus a Full HD+ 120Hz display. You can also get this bundle with the ROG XG Mobile GPU, but that switches to an Ultra HD+ screen, 32GB of RAM, and the built-in GPU is a GeForce GTX 1650 instead.

    ASUS ROG Flow X13
    The ASUS ROG Flow X13 is one of the few convertibles designed for gaming, and it's got powerful specs to for that reason. You can also use an external GPU with it.

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Best ARM-based convertible PC: HP Elite Folio

HP Elite Folio in folio orientation angled view

There aren’t a ton of ARM-based Windows convertibles right now, but the HP Elite Folio is one of the best out there. In fact, it’s one of the best Windows on ARM laptops in general, featuring a premium design and high-end hardware, at least as far as ARM PCs go.

The HP Elite Folio is powered by the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2, which, for now, is the best processor available for Windows ARM PCs. It’s an eight-core processor with four performance cores and four efficient cores, and it has clock speeds up to 3GHz. The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 is a slightly faster version of the original 8cx, which is two years old by now, so it’s not exactly bleeding-edge, but it’s still a fast processor that can get you through most day-to-day tasks just fine. You can also get it with up to 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, so the experience is pretty good overall.

The display on the HP Elite Folio is also quite good – it’s a 13.5-inch panel with a 3:2 aspect ratio, and it comes in Full HD+ (1920 x 1280) resolution. You can’t go higher than that, but for a display of this size, that’s very sharp already, so you shouldn’t need a lot more. You do get the option to add a privacy screen to keep your information safe from people around you, though. In that case, the display can go up to 1000 nits, which is necessary for the privacy guard to work while still letting you see the screen.

For the webcam, as per usual, we’re looking at a 720p camera, which isn’t fantastic. It’s going to be serviceable for the occasional call or meeting, but it would be nice to see something a bit better here. Thankfully you do get Windows Hello facial recognition, so logging in is still very easy.

The design of the HP Elite Folio is one of the things that makes it truly great. Similar to the Surface Laptop Studio above, this is a convertible that doesn’t use a 360-degree hinge, and instead you can pull the screen closer to you to use it in different modes. But here, it’s made even better because the outer shell of the laptop isn’t metal, it’s vegan leather. This gives the Elite Folio a super premium and classy feeling, while also making it more welcoming to the touch and easier to hold on to. The laptop is also fairly thin, measuring 16mm, and it weighs 2.92lbs, so it’s easy to carry anywhere.

One downside of this laptop is that it only has two USB Type-C ports and a headphone jack; and because this isn’t an Intel-based laptop, those ports don’t even support Thunderbolt (you can find the best Thunderbolt laptops here, is that’s a requirement for you). There are docking options with standard USB Type-C, but you’ll get far less bandwidth to connect peripherals. Similar to other business laptops, you get the option for either 4G LTE or 5G cellular support, though it is a paid upgrade.

It’s not a perfect device by any means, and as it stands, you’ll probably get a better experience in many ways from an Intel laptop. But it has a fantastic design that’s both convenient and classy, and if you want an ARM-powered convertible PC, this is your best option.

    HP Elite Folio
    The HP Elite Folio is a premium business laptop with a unique form factor and a high-end ARM processor.

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Best budget convertible PC: Lenovo Yoga 6

If you want a solid convertible PC at a more reasonable price, the Lenovo Yoga 6 is definitely one of the best options you can find. I personally reviewed this laptop just a few weeks ago, and it’s a very solid proposition for its price.

First off, the Lenovo Yoga 6 is powered by the latest AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors, up to a Ryzen 7 5700U. Of course, if you’re on a budget, you’re probably going to the lower-end model, which comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U, and that’s still a six-core, 12-thread CPU that can boost up to 4GHz, so it’s going to give you a fantastic experience for a laptop at this price. On top of that, you get 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD at minimum, though it can go up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD. Even the base configuration is going to be pretty good for day-to-day use, and if you’re on a budget, it’s definitely a good choice.

The display on the Lenovo Yoga 6 is fairly standard. It’s a 13.3-inch panel, and it comes in a more typical 16:9 aspect ratio. Contrary to what it may seem based on this list, 16:9 is still the most common aspect ratio for laptops, and while a taller screen is great for work, this is still perfectly fine, and it’s ideal for consuming media like movies and videos. It’s a Full HD (1920 x 1080) panel, and that’s something you can’t upgrade, but as we’ve mentioned, that’s sharp enough for a display of this size. Potentially the biggest downside is that it’s not super bright, so using it outdoors may not be great, but it works just fine indoors.

Like most of the laptops on this list, the Lenovo Yoga 6 comes with the downside of having a 720p webcam, and even for that resolution, it’s not a very good camera. Again, if you don’t use it very often, it suffices, but it could definitely be better. It also doesn’t come with Windows Hello facial recognition support, but you do get a fingerprint reader on this laptop if you want to login more easily.

One of my favorite things about the Lenovo Yoga 6 is the design, specifically the materials used. The lid is covered in dark blue fabric which stretches all the way to the edges of the display panel cover. This fabric finish makes it far more comfortable to hold on to the laptop and it looks very unique compared to any other laptop, especially in this range. It only comes in blue, and this is a design that would greatly benefit from different color options, but it’s still fantastic. The base is made from plastic, but it feels quite solid. As for its portability, it measures 18.2mm at its thickest point and it weighs 2.91lbs, so it’s very easy to carry anywhere.

As for ports, the Lenovo Yoga 6 makes do with a couple of USB Type-C ports – though only one of them can charge the laptop – and two USB Type-A ports, plus a headphone jack. The USB-C ports don’t support Thunderbolt since this is an AMD laptop, and while it’s nice to have a couple of USB Type-A ports, it’s missing HDMI, so you’re going to need an adapter if you want to use an external monitor.

You get all of that for an MSRP that starts at $749.99, which is a great price for everything you’re getting here. The display is sharp, the specs are fast enough for just about any day-to-day task, and you still get a unique design that stands out from the crowd – that’s not as common as you might think at this price. If you’re on a budget, this is one of the best convertible PCs you can find.

    Lenovo Yoga 6
    The Lenovo Yoga 6 is a fantastic convertible PC for its starting price of $750. It has a unique design and solid performance.

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Best Chromebook convertible: Acer Chromebook Spin 713

Acer Chromebook Spin 713

It should come as no surprise that the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 is the best Chrome OS convertible PC out there, but it’s always worth reiterating. This is one of the very best Chrome OS devices in general, and it gives you a lot of bang for your buck if you like Google’s operating system.

Performance-wise, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 comes with an Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, which is a quad-core, eight-thread CPU capable of boosting up to 4.2GHz. Plus, it also includes Iris Xe graphics for some heavier graphics-related workloads. That’s already great in the Windows world, but when so many Chrome OS devices use Intel Celeron, Pentium, or low-end ARM processors, this is fantastic. It’s one of the best experiences you’ll get on any Chromebook. On top of that, you get 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD; which, for an operating system that relies heavily on the web, is a powerful combination.

It doesn’t stop there, though. Like the best convertible PCs we’ve looked at so far, this one comes with a 13.5-inch display and it has a 3:2 tall aspect ratio – a rarity among Chromebooks. Not only that, it’s a very sharp screen, too, with a resolution of 2256 x 1504. This is truly a great display for any laptop, but when you consider this costs just $699.99, it’s phenomenal.

Of course, it’s not all perfect, and as per usual, you get a 720p camera. We’ve said it before, but this isn’t a fantastic camera in the era of remote work and remote learning. It does the job in a pinch, but it’s not going to impress. There’s also no infrared facial recognition like Windows Hello, since Chrome OS doesn’t support it, but you also don’t get a fingerprint reader, which is unfortunate.

The design of the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 is fairly basic when you look at it, as it’s just a metal laptop. But that’s not necessarily bad, either. It’s got a MIL-STD-810G durability rating, and it looks and feels premium all around, even if it blends in a bit in terms of looks. It weighs 3.2lbs and it’s roughly 17mm thick, so while it’s not winning awards for being thin and light, it’s still very portable.

As far as ports go, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 actually has one of the best setups on this list. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports (again, fantastic to see at this price), one USB Type-A, HDMI, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader. You have all bases covered with this, and there isn’t much more you could ask for.

If you’re interested in a Chromebook PC and you have a bit more money to spend, the Chromebook Spin 713 isn’t just the best convertible, it’s one of the best options, period. Of course, if you’re used to Windows, this is a very different kind of experience, so this isn’t necessarily something everyone should get.

    Acer Chromebook Spin 713
    The Acer Chromebook Spi 713 is a fantastic Chrome OS convertible with solid specs, a premium design, and a surprisingly low price tag.

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And those are what we consider to be the best convertible PCs you can buy right now. All of these are fantastic machines, and the HP Spectre x360 14 is at the top overall recommendation because of its premium and striking design, a great 3:2 display with options for an extra-sharp OLED panel, and high-end performance. With that said, it’s not a perfect device, and there are valid reasons to prefer any of the others on this list. My personal preference would be the Surface Laptop Studio, but I also love the ASUS ROG Flow X13.

Looking for something else? Stop by our list of the best laptops to find more than convertibles. There are some fantastic options if you’re open to other form factors.

The post These are the best convertible laptops to buy in 2021 appeared first on xda-developers.



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